Peregrinator wrote:Wouldn't it be weird if the Mesan "star lines" were effectively "domesticated," like say, silk moths or various cultivars of plants, to the degree where they were dependent upon the laboratory for reproduction?

That was actually one of the primary factors in the Final War. Some of the "super soldiers" had been so heavily modified they were no longer fertile and they attacked their creators to secure control of the labs in which they had been --- and any more of their kind would have to be --- created,

I seriously doubt it. There's a serious prejudice against "normals" in the inner layer of the Onion. They'd be considered inferior, discriminated against and effectively barred from the highest ranks. Which is a great formula for resentment and possible betrayal. I'd be utterly astonished if the Detweilers ever had anyone but Alpha of Alpha line children.

I seriously doubt it. There's a serious prejudice against "normals" in the inner layer of the Onion. They'd be considered inferior, discriminated against and effectively barred from the highest ranks. Which is a great formula for resentment and possible betrayal. I'd be utterly astonished if the Detweilers ever had anyone but Alpha of Alpha line children.

IIRC That was the thought of a mix of the Detweiler genome and the temporary Alpha status of the Bardasano genotype.

blackjack217 wrote:I seriously doubt it. There's a serious prejudice against "normals" in the inner layer of the Onion. They'd be considered inferior, discriminated against and effectively barred from the highest ranks. Which is a great formula for resentment and possible betrayal. I'd be utterly astonished if the Detweilers ever had anyone but Alpha of Alpha line children.

dlewis0160 wrote:IIRC That was the thought of a mix of the Detweiler genome and the temporary Alpha status of the Bardasano genotype.

Certainly you are not suggesting a tryst . I thought the Uplift Board dealt with those messy bits in-house.

I seriously doubt it. There's a serious prejudice against "normals" in the inner layer of the Onion. They'd be considered inferior, discriminated against and effectively barred from the highest ranks. Which is a great formula for resentment and possible betrayal. I'd be utterly astonished if the Detweilers ever had anyone but Alpha of Alpha line children.

If two Alpha line parents produce children, they are about the farthest thing imaginable from "normals." They represent a random combination of two of the "best" genotypes in existence, and the Alignment is fully aware of the advantages inherent in allowing natural selection to play a part. In addition, oneof the things they are very diligently seeking to avoid is the notion of a "subspecies" which cannot (a) reproduce naturally, or (b) interbreed with the rest of the human race in general. They are after improvement, not that degree of differentiation. It's highly probable that the human race they want to ultimately achieve may not be inter-fertile with "normals" (of whom there are precious few left, really, outside the Sol System by now), but they are consciously working to avoid that situation at this stage. If nothing else, they want their new, superior genotypes to penetrate the racial genetic code as a whole.

So the short answer is that while there may be a prejudice against "normals," Alphas are encouraged to have naturally conceived as well as genetically designed children.

If two Alpha line parents produce children, they are about the farthest thing imaginable from "normals." They represent a random combination of two of the "best" genotypes in existence, and the Alignment is fully aware of the advantages inherent in allowing natural selection to play a part. In addition, oneof the things they are very diligently seeking to avoid is the notion of a "subspecies" which cannot (a) reproduce naturally, or (b) interbreed with the rest of the human race in general. They are after improvement, not that degree of differentiation. It's highly probable that the human race they want to ultimately achieve may not be inter-fertile with "normals" (of whom there are precious few left, really, outside the Sol System by now), but they are consciously working to avoid that situation at this stage. If nothing else, they want their new, superior genotypes to penetrate the racial genetic code as a whole.

So the short answer is that while there may be a prejudice against "normals," Alphas are encouraged to have naturally conceived as well as genetically designed children.

The astute reader may suspect that the above remark did not exactly answer the question. Tum te tum te tum and all that.

I seriously doubt it. There's a serious prejudice against "normals" in the inner layer of the Onion. They'd be considered inferior, discriminated against and effectively barred from the highest ranks. Which is a great formula for resentment and possible betrayal. I'd be utterly astonished if the Detweilers ever had anyone but Alpha of Alpha line children.

phillies wrote:

runsforcelery wrote:If two Alpha line parents produce children, they are about the farthest thing imaginable from "normals." They represent a random combination of two of the "best" genotypes in existence, and the Alignment is fully aware of the advantages inherent in allowing natural selection to play a part. In addition, oneof the things they are very diligently seeking to avoid is the notion of a "subspecies" which cannot (a) reproduce naturally, or (b) interbreed with the rest of the human race in general. They are after improvement, not that degree of differentiation. It's highly probable that the human race they want to ultimately achieve may not be inter-fertile with "normals" (of whom there are precious few left, really, outside the Sol System by now), but they are consciously working to avoid that situation at this stage. If nothing else, they want their new, superior genotypes to penetrate the racial genetic code as a whole.

So the short answer is that while there may be a prejudice against "normals," Alphas are encouraged to have naturally conceived as well as genetically designed children.

phillies wrote:The astute reader may suspect that the above remark did not exactly answer the question. Tum te tum te tum and all that.

You might have left in the bit that RFC was actually addressing. I added it back in to clarify the flow.

As an added note, remember that there is an outer "Mesan Alignment," the members of which have no clue that the Onion exists. They are Alpha etc. genomes in their own right.